A Cinderella Story
by SexyPurpleBeast
Summary: Prince Percy does not intend to marry. But when a ball, requiring every eligible maiden of Greece to attend, is organized for him to meet a bride, he didn't plan on meeting the blonde haired, grey eyed girl of his dreams. Annabeth is a servant in her own home. But at the Prince's ball, what happens when she meets a green eyed stranger who's hell-bent on finding her?
1. Part One

[A Cinderella Story]

_Disclaimer: I do not own Percy Jackson and the Olympians, or Disney's Cinderella_

[SexyPurpleBeast] [AU] [Percabeth]

* * *

_Note: This story, based on Disney's 1950 version of Cinderella, takes place in ancient Greece. There are no cell phones, cars, or any technology of the modern day. This is a short story, with a maximum of 5 chapters of an epilogue._

* * *

**THIRD**

Once upon a time in a faraway land, there was a tiny kingdom known as Greece, peaceful, prosperous, and rich in romance and tradition. Here in a stately chateau, there lived a widowed gentleman and his little daughter, Annabeth. Although he was a kind and devoted father, and gave his beloved child every luxury and comfort, still he felt she needed a mother's care. So he married again, choosing for his second wife a woman of good family with two daughters just Annabeth's age, by name, Calypso and Rachel.

It was upon the untimely death of this good man, however, that the stepmother's true nature was revealed. Cold, cruel, and bitterly jealous of Annabeth's charm and beauty, she was grimly determined to forward the interests of her own two awkward daughters.

Thus, as time went by, the chateau fell into disrepair, for the family fortunes were squandered upon the vain and selfish stepsisters while Annabeth was abused, humiliated, and finally forced to become a servant in her own house. And yet, through it all, Annabeth remained ever gentle and kind, for with each dawn she found new hope that someday her dreams of happiness would come true.

* * *

**ANNABETH**

"CINDERELLA!" A high pitched voice called, followed by the ringing of a bell. I rushed inside, hurrying to finish feeding the chickens outside. I wiped my hands on my apron as I came through the door.

"Alright, alright. I'm coming!" I called, sighing at the use of my hated nickname. After my father had died when I was seven, my stepsisters had decided to call me Cinderella because my name ended in Beth. They reasoned that because Ella was a nickname for Elizabeth, it fit me as well. From that point on, I was the one and only Cinderella.

The bell continued to ring and I heard my name once again being called. "Cinderella!"

I ran to the table, and set three trays each with a tea pot, tea cup, and bowl of oatmeal. A second bell began to ring and my name was called again. "Cinderella!"

"In a minute!" I called under my breath. There was no plausible way they could hear me.

"Cinderella!" "Cinderella!" "Cinderella!" Three voices were screaming as I continued to fill the pots full of hot water. I could never understand why my step family always ate oatmeal and tea for breakfast, but orders were orders, so that was what I made and served every morning.

"CINDERELLA!" They screamed again. I picked up a tray, balancing it on my head before grabbing the other two trays and exiting the kitchen.

When you come in the front doors of our house, you are greeted by tall columns and beautiful polished marble floors. A grand staircase that curves around the circular room leads to the next of three floors and hides the door to the back kitchen and laundry room.

On the second floor is a long hallway, with floor to ceiling windows and beautiful burgundy and gold curtains. There are three doors, leading to my two stepsisters' rooms and the third leading to my step mother's room. If you look as you come in, you'll see there is a small door made to look like the wall paper. This door, leads to the stone tower. At the top is my room. It isn't as grand as any of the other rooms in our cottage, you could reasonably call it a cottage, but I'd lived there since my father's death and I grew to love it.

I quickly made my way up the stairs, followed closely by Lucifer, the cat. He was this fat black cat that loved to torment the few mice that lived in tower. They used to frighten me, but I eventually figured out that if I fed them every morning, they'd go about their own business and I'd go about mine.

I went to the first door and opened it carefully, as not to spill the breakfast that belonged to my eldest stepsister, Rachel. She had a curly mane of red hair and green eyes.

"Good morning, Rachel." I greeted her as I set down her breakfast in her lap.

"Well it's about time. Take that ironing and have it back in an hour! One hour, you hear?" Rachel demanded as I grabbed a basket filled to the rim with pink dresses.

"Yes, Rachel." I pulled the door shut with my foot and proceeded down the hall to Calypso's room. Calypso was younger than Rachel by a year but only younger than me by a couple of months.

"Good morning, Calypso. Sleep well?" Calypso was sitting in bed, brushing her straight caramel colored hair. Her almond eyes were only half opened and she yawned, ignoring me as she always did. I set her breakfast down on her vanity, located to the right of her bed, and grabbed the box of her dirty green and purple dresses.

"Don't forget the mending!" Calypso added, before the door shut.

I rolled my eyes and knocked before opening the last door in the hall; my step mother's room.

"Good morning, Step mother." I acknowledged her.

"Good morning, child. Come in, come in! Take the laundry and get on with your regular chores." I grabbed the bag of laundry at the foot of her bed as Lucifer ran in between my legs and jumped onto her bed.

"Yes, Step mother." I answered. I put the bag of laundry on my head and left my stepmother to her breakfast.

I was currently standing outside of my stepmother's door, the muffled sounds of my stepsisters could be heard from outside. Breakfast, as usual, passed with some sort of an exaggerated event. Calypso supposedly found a mouse under her tea cup, and had been blaming me for putting it there for the last ten minutes. My stepmother had called me up and I knocked quickly, to let her know I had arrived.

The noises inside stopped. Rachel and Calypso, both still in their night gowns, opened the door and walked out, before gesturing me inside.

"Close the door, Cinderella." My stepmother ordered. I shut the door in the faces of Thing 1 and Thing 2. They were no doubt going to listen to our conversation.

I slowly walked to the edge of the bed and waited. When she didn't say anything, I began to defend myself.

"Oh, please, you don't think that I would-"

"Hold your tongue!" She interrupted. She picked up her tea before continuing. "Now, it seems we have time on our hands."

"But I was only trying to-"

"Silence!" She interrupted, her eyes flashing with anger. "Time for vicious practical jokes. Perhaps we can put it to better use. Now, let me see…There's the large carpet in the main hall – Clean it! And the windows upstairs and down – Wash them! Oh yes, and the tapestries and the draperies…"

I thought back to yesterday morning, remembering when I had cleaned both the tapestries and the draperies. "But I just finished…"

"Do them again! And don't forget the garden. Then scrub the terrace, sweep the halls and the stairs, clean the chimneys. And of course there's the mending, and the sewing, and the laundry…" Lucifer, who had cuddled up on the bed, appeared to be nodding as if he was agreeing with everything she was saying. My stepmother seemed to be finished adding new chores to my punishment, so I turned and tried to leave before she thought of something else. I'd grabbed the handle of the door when she spoke up once again. "Oh, yes, and one more thing: see that Lucifer gets his bath." I smiled to her and nodded. Lucifer hated bath time, so I tended to put it as a priority two or three times a week. If there was one chore I enjoyed, it was giving Lucifer his bath.

* * *

**THIRD**

On the other side of the tiny kingdom known as Greece, stood a tall castle. It was made of pure white stone, and was surrounded my gardens. There was a tall wall, made of the same stone, with huge wrought iron gates surrounding the palace. The castle was only a mile or two from the beach, which was loved by the royal family.

In the castle, lived a king. He was one of three brothers, his older brother Hades, ruled a kingdom in the south that produced obsidian. His younger brother, Zeus, ruled a kingdom known as Rome. Greece and Rome had formed a peace treaty after years of rivalry, so their countries traded often and allied together during war. The king of Greece was known by the name of Poseidon.

Poseidon lived in the palace with his second wife. After his first queen's passing, Poseidon married a woman whom he'd been childhood friends with and had been involved in an affair with before his wife had announced her pregnancy. Triton, the son of the king and Amphitrite, the daughter of a middle class family, was born four months before the prince, Perseus, had been born. Despite Triton being older, Perseus was the heir of the throne and the King's new family understood and Triton would be married off to a princess of another kingdom to create an alliance.

Queen Amphitrite came to love Perseus as her own son, and he grew to love her as his mother. Perseus had spent the last six months in Rome visiting his two cousins. Today was his eighteenth birthday and he would be returning home, along with his cousins. He'd never been interested in girls, and had no intentions of marrying anytime soon. But this was an opinion Lord Poseidon was hoping to change.

"My son has been avoiding his responsibilities long enough. It's high time he married and settled down." Poseidon spoke, pinching the bridge of his nose.

The king was sitting at a table in one of the castle's many gardens. With him were Amphitrite, Hades and his wife Persephone, Zeus and his wife Hera, his sister Demeter, and his sister-in-law Aphrodite. **(A/N: For the sake of this story, Aphrodite and Amphitrite are sisters.)** His grand duke, Hermes, stood off to the side, in case he was needed while the royal family dined on breakfast. Even though he was the duke, he and the king had been friends for a long time and they were so close they were like brothers.

"Of course, your Majesty, but we must be patient-"

"I AM PATIENT!" He exploded, throwing a jar of syrup towards Hermes, who merely ducked before the jar hit the garden wall behind him. Amphitrite reached out and put her hand on her husband's shoulder to reassure him.

"I just want what's best for my son. He needs to find somebody now, before he takes the throne in three years."

"And it can't be just anybody." Amphitrite added. She and her husband had spoken of their son's future before the royal families of the land had arrived. More would be arriving of course, in honor of the prince's birthday, but they would be arriving around noon. "She needs to be someone who can fit the image of a queen…"

"Produce an heir!" Hera piped in. Everybody in the garden, including the servants nodded. They all knew the importance of having an heir to the throne of Greece.

"Don't forget, she must be able to rule a country! She'll influence Perseus' decision greatly. Therefore, she'll need to know when and where sacrifices must be made!" Demeter added.

Aphrodite coughed delicately, getting the attention of those at the table. "Aren't we all forgetting one teensy weensy tiny detail?" She looked around the table and everyone looked confused. She sighed before answering her own question. "They have to love each other! That's the most important thing!"

"No offense, Aphrodite, but it won't be easy to find a girl who actually loves a prince for who he is, not his title!" Hades pointed out.

"He's right. So unless you can find a bunch of young women who have no idea that Perseus is a prince, good luck finding somebody who loves him for him." Zeus added, before going back to his food.

"Which," Aphrodite spoke, standing up. "…is why I thought of this before I came here. Today is your son's birthday and you have royals coming in from all over the country, correct?" When Poseidon and Amphitrite nodded. "So, you throw a ball in honor of his birthday and to welcome everybody here. It will have to be a masquerade ball, that way everybody will be anonymous, and he can meet somebody who loves him for him."

Poseidon considered the option before him. His sister had actually suggested a pretty good plan. A ball to welcome home his son wouldn't be strange, and a masquerade would be the theme. He was about to agree when Hermes spoke up.

"Excuse me, your Majesty, but consider this. How many royal princesses his age will be single? I'm willing to bet many of them are betrothed already. This leaves you with a limited number of girls to choose from."

The king looked to Aphrodite who smiled. From her expression, he could tell she knew exactly how to fix this problem. "But a problem like that is simple to fix, as long as you don't particularly care about her background."

"Explain." Poseidon ordered.

"With pleasure."

* * *

**ANNABETH**

I sighed as I began to re-scrub the floors of the entry. Moments ago, the cat had decided to walk through the pile of dirt I'd swept into the corner then parade around the room. His footprints ran all over the room and I needed to start all over.

My stepmother was upstairs with Rachel and Calypso, giving them their daily "music lesson". Even after four years of daily lessons, they hadn't gotten any better. I dipped my rag into the soapy water, bubbles over flowing while a few started to float about the room.

I heard the door from the kitchen creak open and I saw Lucifer walk out of the kitchen. I'd chased him outside with a broom only moments ago but I guess he'd gotten over it quickly. I stood up and grabbed the broom, ready to once again lock him outside, but I was interrupted by a quick knock on the door.

"Open in the name of the king!" A voice shouted from outside. I opened the door to see a man in his late twenties with blonde hair, upturned eyebrows, and mischievous blue eyes. The man looked me over, bowing despite the fact he was obviously of higher status.

"An urgent message from his imperial Majesty." He announced in a clear voice, before pulling an envelope out from his brown messenger bag. I took the envelope from him and I couldn't help but notice it was on heavy paper. The royal seal was on the front, sealing it, while on the back _Please open immediately_ was written in beautiful calligraphy, probably written by the queen or one of her many advisors.

I curtsied before saying "Thank you." I shut the door, while studying the envelope. I guessed I should take this upstairs but a quiet knocking rang through the room. I smiled, realizing who it was and rushed towards the kitchen. I pulled open the top half of the door to see my friend Katie. She lived in the village with her father, who owned the bread shop. She'd bring me bread every other day during the week, saving me trips to the village.

She claimed she loved the walk out here, but I was only the excuse so she could see a boy farther down the road from us named Travis. Her father didn't approve, but Katie didn't care.

"Hello, Annabeth." She spoke quietly. My stepmother didn't know Katie delivered stuff to us, so Katie was careful knowing how my stepmother treated me.

"Katie." I smiled, before opening the door. "Don't worry. They're upstairs." The bread was wrapped in brown paper, and I took it before walking over to get the small bag of money I had for bread. My stepmother refilled it once a week, but she knew how much it cost so she was very careful about how much she gave me. I took the necessary coins out before turning back to Katie, who was pulling something out of her apron. I handed her the coins and she handed me something wrapped in brown paper and tied shut with a string.

"It's a cinnamon bun. My father sent it. He wants your opinion." I smiled before unwrapping. Katie's family would occasionally send something for me to try, but wouldn't let me pay for it. I broke the bun in half and offered part of it to Katie, who was more than willing to take it.

"Have you heard the news? Royals are coming in from all over the country for the prince's birthday! Carriages have been passing through the town all morning and business has been great. Daddy's been working extra hard to keep up, which is why I have to hurry back, but I guess something big is happening tonight!" Her green eyes shone with excitement.

Katie's mother was the sister of the king. Despite the fact she could have been wealthy, she gave it up to marry Katie's father and they now owned a bakery in town. They weren't wealthy, but they weren't lower class either.

"Is that what this is?" I asked, licking my fingers. The cinnamon, like everything else her father made, was excellent. I held up the envelope that had been delivered only moments ago. Katie's eyes went wide and she made a grab for it.

I held it away, before pointing up. I needed to give this to my stepmother unopened. She frowned but nodded in understanding.

"Hopefully by the time I visit Travis, ours will have been delivered or mother will be home to tell me herself!" She headed towards the door after mentioning Travis and I walked with her.

"Good luck! And thanks for bringing the bread!"

"No problem!" She called over her shoulder before running up the path to the main road. I watched her go before looking at the envelope in my hands. "Guess it's time to go interrupt their 'music lessons' now." I muttered to myself before walking out of the kitchen.

The music room was on the third floor and a piano and flute could clearly be heard from the stairs. Calypso played the flute while Rachel tried to sing. The only decent sound coming from in there was my stepmother's piano skills.

I was never supposed to interrupt their lessons, but considering this was from the palace, they hopefully wouldn't be too angry. I knocked, holding onto my broom and the envelope firmly. A moment later, I heard my stepmother slam the keys before shouting, "Yes?"

I opened the door and she began to shout, "Cinderella, I told you never to interrupt-"

"But this just arrived from the palace!" I managed to get out, holding out the envelope.

"From the palace!" Calypso and Rachel shrieked before ripping the envelope from my hand. They began to fight over who got to read it, when my stepmother took the envelope, announcing she would read it. Her eyes flew across the page and her face broke into a smile.

"There's to be a masquerade ball, tonight, in honor of his royal highness, the Prince!" She exclaimed.

"The Prince!" My stepsisters exclaimed.

"And, by royal command, every eligible maiden is to attend!"

"Why, that's us!" Calypso was jumping with glee.

"And I'm so eligible!" Rachel said.

They continued to talk about the ball and the prince while I walked over to my stepmother and began to read the invitation in her hands. She didn't seem to mind me reading it. Then I saw the sentence that every eligible maiden is to attend.

"Why that means I can go, too!" I exclaimed. Rachel and Calypso who had been giggling about something froze and turned to look at me.

"Hah! Her, dancing with the Prince!" Rachel laughed.

"I'd be honored, Your Highness." Calypso imitated me. "Would you mind holding my broom?" She and Rachel burst into giggles before dancing together.

"Well why not? I'm still a member of the family, and it says every eligible maiden!"

Rachel and Calypso looked at me, mouths agape. Then my stepmother spoke up.

"Well I see no reason why you can't go…if you get all your work done."

"Oh, I will. I promise." I smiled, backing up towards the door.

"And, if you can find something suitable to wear."

"I'm sure I can. Oh, thank you, Stepmother!" I pulled the door shut. I couldn't believe it! I nearly flew down the stairs so I could finish the floor. I needed to find a dress.

* * *

**PERCY**

I had no idea why my father had insisted I ride in a carriage once we entered Greece instead of riding Blackjack like I normally do. Luckily, I was spared from an hour of boredom because Lord Zeus and Lord Hades had made Thalia, Jason, and Nico ride in the carriage as well. They weren't happy about it, but they did as they were instructed.

"Hey, Perce?" Thalia asked, staring out the window. "Do people normally point and stare at you when you come through town?"

"What do you mean?" I asked confused. Sure, people looked when I passed and a few bowed, but nobody pointed and stared. Then again, I normally didn't come to the town.

"Almost everybody is pointing towards our carriage and staring as we go past." She answered, moving back so Nico and I could look out the window. It was true; lots of commoners were watching us.

"That's odd." I stated. Nico and Thalia had never been to Greece, but Jason had come to visit me a couple of years ago. "Did people stare at you when you visited last time, Jason?" I asked. When he didn't answer, I looked over to see him staring out his window. I looked to see him staring at a dress shop with a line out the door. There was a girl about our age in the window helping a woman in a blue dress and another girl who was probably about ten handing the woman different masks as she held them up to her face.

"Ooh! Admiring McLean, Cousin?" I teased him, knowing full well he was. Piper McLean was the daughter of the shop owner; the man who happened to be married to my aunt. Luckily for Jason, she was in no way related to him.

"No!" He defended, a blush covering his cheeks. "I was staring at the line for a dress shop. Why in the name of Hades is there a line!?"

"Hey!" Nico protested when Jason cursed using his father's name. It had been an inside joke of ours for years. The carriage came to stop as we pulled into the castle grounds. I opened the door and jumped out, glad to be out of the confined space. I signaled the boy leading Blackjack to bring him over to me. Everyone else's horses had trained riders on them, but Blackjack was stubborn. I'd had him for three and a half years, and since I'd gotten him, Blackjack wouldn't let anybody else ride him.

He handed me the reigns of the black horse and I swung myself up onto the horse. I waited for everyone else to get out of the carriage and get on their horses, when I saw my parents and brother walking out to meet us.

"So? Why is there a line?" Jason asked again, getting on his grey horse.

I shrugged my shoulders. I nodded in respect to my father and mother who'd now reached us. "No idea."

"Bet it has to do with somebody's eighteenth birthday." Thalia snickered. "There's probably a party tonight."

"A masquerade ball, actually." My mother spoke in clear, kind voice. It was hard to hide the shock on my face.

"A ball?" I asked.

"For your birthday, Birthday Boy!" My older brother, Triton spoke with sarcastic glee. I rolled my eyes but looked to my father, hoping it wasn't true.

His expression told me it was and I groaned. "Why are we having a masquerade ball for my birthday? Why not do it for Thalia's?" I tried to make it sound like a good idea, but Thalia looked horrified at the thought.

Her black hair and electric blue eyes were unique and sort of startling. She hated wearing dresses, so she went riding whenever she could just so she wouldn't have to wear one. She also spent a lot of time learning to 'defend' herself with weapons, but I could list more times that she attacked than she actually defended. There was no way she'd ever have a masquerade ball.

"Because Thalia's not looking for a bride." My mother reasoned and I groaned again.

"Are we back on this again? I not ready to get married to some snotty princess who only cares about her looks and being queen!"

"Thus the reason for a _masquerade_ ball. Everyone will be wearing masks so nobody will know who you are. That way, you can find somebody and have time to get used to the idea." My mother told me.

"And you can marry for love!" Triton squealed while trying, and failing, to keep a straight face. He burst into laughter and I grimaced.

"At least I'm not being married off!" I told him and that shut him up. Because he was older and would be marrying a princess of another kingdom, he wouldn't begin looking at brides until he was twenty.

"Oh shut up, Perseus!" He muttered.

"Mother, _please_. Don't make me do this." I tried to reason, but she looked determined. "Darling, this is your last chance. If you don't find somebody tonight, we'll have no choice but to start inviting princesses from countries we could use an alliance with. You'll have princesses, ladies, and maiden from all three classes to pick from. Every girl will be at the ball tonight, you just need to find one you'll be happy with and are willing to marry."

I knew she wanted me to be happy, that's why I wasn't already engaged to some princess. She and my father were trying to give me a choice in who I was marrying, but I just didn't want to get married. I knew I'd used up all my time and I had to face the reality that I would have to get married sooner or later.

"We have an outfit and mask ordered for you that will be delivered an hour before you're needed in the ball. You'll sneak in after some of the other guests have arrived, that way, nobody will recognize you as the Prince." My father informed me. His tone warned me that if tried to pull anything to get out of this, I'd regret it.

I nodded before sending Blackjack into a gallop. I needed some alone time before tonight.


	2. Part Two

[A Cinderella Story]

_Disclaimer: I do not own Percy Jackson and the Olympians, or Disney's Cinderella_

[SexyPurpleBeast] [AU] [Percabeth]

* * *

_Part Two Note: This chapter will be the second half of before the ball, and part 3 will focus on the ball itself. In this story, you'll notice men wearing tuxedos and women wearing dresses and jewelry. Because I don't know the fashions of this time period, clothing articles, food, and details like that will either be loosely based off those in the movie or in my personal opinions. _

* * *

**ANNABETH**

Clothing was being thrown at me from all directions; dresses of every shape and color, skirts, blouses, and shoes while Rachel and Calypso were giving orders, interrupting and trying to talk over the other.

"And this too, Cinderella, my slippers. Now don't forget to-"

"Cinderella, take my dress! Here! Mend them on the…" Calypso interrupted. She threw the green dress and I struggled to catch it before it hit the floor. She went on about something else, but Rachel's voice was louder.

"And here's my skirt! Mind the ruffles; you're always tearing it-"

"And Cinderella?" An older voice instructed, Rachel and Calypso's voices faltered.

"Yes?" I asked, turning to locate the voice of my stepmother. I couldn't help but notice that my voice went weak when I spoke. _No! You are not weak! _I ordered myself mentally.

"When you're through, and before you begin your regular chores, I have a few little things." She smiled.

"Very well." I sighed, before turning to the door.

"Mother, I don't see why everybody else seems to have such nice things to wear, and I always end up in these old rags! This sash, well I wouldn't be seen dead it in!" I could see Rachel throw the soft gold sash to the ground and stomp off towards her mother in my peripheral vision.

"You should talk! These beads, I'm sick of looking at them! Trash!" Calypso whined. I heard the beads hit the floor, and then skid across the stone. Calypso probably kicked them.

Calypso and Rachel continued to complain and whine as they marched out the door opposite of me. The door slammed and I turned around to face Piper, who was calmly sitting on a chair in the corner.

She smiled, trying desperately to not to laugh. My stepmother had called her over here, so she could make new dresses for Rachel and Calypso. She'd already taken measurements and their color preferences before I'd shown up. Then she was forgotten as Rachel and Calypso decided I needed to wash everything else they owned, like they'd actually wear it. Once they saw their new gowns, they'd be awestruck.

Piper McLean was a girl from town. Her family owned one of the few dress shops in town and Piper was a genius when it came to dressmaking. Her brown hair fell in shiny waves to her shoulders, and her kaleidoscope eyes complimented her nicely. She was by far one of the prettiest girls in Greece, but she hadn't dated much. She'd dated this boy Leo once, but they both agreed it wasn't working and they were now best friends.

Normally, Piper was training her younger sister, Silena, but she'd left her at the shop for this call and I didn't blame her. Rachel and Calypso Tremaine **(A/N: In Cinderella, that is the stepfamily's last name so I borrowed it for this story) **were the hardest girls in the country to please, but Piper always managed.

She had two mannequins in front of her and seven chests. Two held dress fabrics, one held thread, pearls, and other embellishments, two of the chests held shoes, each filled with Rachel and Calypso's sizes, and another chest was full of necklaces, rings, bracelets, and other things the girls might want to impress 'their' Prince. The last two chests were carefully arranged holding masks. None of the masks touched and Piper told them that they must let her, and her alone, hold the masks because her father needed many of them back before tonight.

"You aren't really going to wash all those things, are you?" She asked, looking out the window. My stepfamily was walking out to the carriage. My stepmother was going out to buy her own dress. Because there was no way the prince would marry her, she didn't need a special dress.

"I shouldn't, they'll wear your dresses of course. But if I don't, I'll only get into more trouble." I sighed, setting the clothes down on a small couch and walking over to Piper. One mannequin held the bright pink and magenta colored fabrics Rachel had picked. My nose scrunched up and Piper noticed.

"Normally these fabrics don't go together, usually as accent pieces to white, black, or maybe a deep blue or green. But your sister went on for ten minutes about how these colors were the Prince's favorite."

I smirked. "Yes, I'm sure the Prince of Greece's favorite colors are pink and _magenta_!" Remembering Rachel drilling us on the color.

Piper laughed. "Calypso, at least picked a color that will look decent with something." I looked to the dark green fabric. "She says she wants something purple with it, but I think I'll do all green."

Piper was the only one who wasn't scared of my stepsisters. She didn't care if they didn't like the dresses because there would be any number of girls in town who were dying to have a dress like this.

"It'll be a gorgeous dress." I said simply. I walked over to the chest and looked at the masks.

"What dress are you going to wear tonight?" Piper asked and I frowned. There were only five hours until the ball started and I hadn't had any free time to even think about a dress.

"I don't know. I'm sure I'll manage something." I mumbled. I went over to the miscellaneous clothing items discarded on the floor and picked them up as well. I'd need to wash everything or they'd only yell at me later claiming they were supposed to have them washed too.

I smiled goodbye to Piper and made my way to the door. "Good luck!" I called out over my shoulder, before turning to face her. "Maybe the Prince will fall in love with you, tonight." I smiled, but Piper grimaced.

"I am not marrying any old prince! I'll marry the man who loves me and I love back!" She yelled after me and I smiled. Piper was stubborn, but she knew what was best for her.

* * *

**THIRD**

The afternoon building up to the Prince's ball was well occupied. Everyone had somewhere to be and something to do. The castle preparations were soon underway. Gardeners were outside making sure the grass was perfectly green, the plants were healthy and beautiful, and the pathway to the castle was clean. Food was being brought in from all over Greece, where it would be cooked by the best chefs.

The royal family, too, was extremely busy. Queen Amphitrite worked with her sister to make sure everything went according to plan. King Poseidon and his brothers greeted royal guests as they arrived, and assigned them servants to make sure they had everything they'd need for the ball. The two princes had a free day to do as they pleased.

Prince Triton caught up with his cousins and friends from other countries who'd come for his brother's birthday. Meanwhile, Prince Perseus spent the day locked in his room, refusing anyone's company. He knew there was no way his parents would change their minds about this, but that didn't mean he had to be happy about it.

Within the hour he'd arrived home, Piper McLean had come to make sure his tux for tonight fit and details like that. She was a sweet girl, with brown hair and pretty eyes. Percy knew that as soon as Jason found out Piper had helped him, he'd be jealous. Piper worked quickly, explaining she had to go help a family with two daughters. She hadn't looked happy about it. When Piper gave him his mask, a simple black mask that covered his eyes and nose, she mentioned something about his eyes.

"I have a friend; she's a servant for the family I'm going to next, that would look fabulous in a dress that color." Prince Perseus didn't think much about the remark.

As for Annabeth Chase, her day was spent trying to finish all her chores and making sure everything was ready for her stepsisters, who called her up for some ridiculous request every few minutes. They'd needed two different baths, their nails filed and painted to perfection, their hair trimmed and styled into, according to Annabeth, overdone frilly distractions. Piper made their dresses quicker than she planned, and picked some frilly masks to go with them. So she spent the last hour she was being paid for on another project, with the use of a beautiful and familiar sea green fabric, she'd kept hidden from the Tremaine sisters and finishing with only seconds to spare. To nobody's surprise, the two sisters loved their dresses and gushed over them, promising to come to Piper for their wedding dresses. Annabeth's laundry had gone to waste, again.

The day passed quickly and soon, night had fallen and the moon and stars dotted the sky. The people of Greece were piling into carriages, and walking if they were close enough, and heading in the direction of the palace for a night of dancing, music, and unexpected meetings.

* * *

**ANNABETH**

A small carriage pulled up next to the house and came to stop. I watched from the window as a forty something year old man jumped down and went to open the door. It wasn't a large carriage, like those belonging to the royal family, but it was average for our status. I could see the moon shining through the trees and shadows danced across the lawn.

My stepmother was helping Rachel and Calypso get dressed. I'd helped do their hair, but I'd been excused half an hour ago while they got dressed. I went downstairs from the music room, where I'd been dusting to alert them of the carriage.

I knocked quietly on the door, my broom in hand and my stepmother opened the door. She was dressed in a beautiful purple dress that wasn't too exquisite. It had a smaller skirt, unlike the one Rachel was wearing behind her. Rachel appeared to be half dressed while Calypso was putting the finishing touches on her hair and pinning her mask up. Only those who were single, men and women alike would be wearing masks at the ball. That way, those looking for partners, including the Prince, wouldn't have to worry about meeting somebody who was engaged.

"Yes?"

"The carriage is here." I uttered in a calm voice. Rachel and Calypso looked over to me when I spoke, just noticing my presence.

"Oh. Why Cinderella, you're not ready child." My stepmother spoke.

"I'm…not going." I answered.

"Not going? Oh, what a shame. But I suppose there will be other times and-"

"Yes." I cut her off, wishing this conversation would be over.

"Well in that case, come. Help Rachel finish dressing and pin her mask in her hair."

I set the broom against the wall the next to the door and began to button up the back of the pink dress. I could tell Piper had tried her best to make the dress beautiful with Rachel's color choices, but it was hard. The dress skirt was pink ruffles and top, with a light pink corset. It was pretty, but clashed with her red hair. Piper had included a light pink mask to try with Rachel's dress.

After I finished helping Rachel, I went to put the broom away before going up to my room. My stepfamily would leave in a few minutes and I'd be alone until they returned. I didn't bother to light a candle as I made my way up the stairs in the dark tower.

I walked over to my small window and stared out at the palace. The white walls of the castle seemed to glow against the night sky. I could see tiny carriages pulling up in front and people making their way up the steps.

"Oh, well. What's a royal ball? After all, I suppose it would be frightfully dull, and-and-and boring, and-and completely…completely wonderful." I sighed to myself. I turned around to search for a book I'd put up here to read.

I lit a lantern so I could see and noticed my wardrobe was closed, a piece of paper pinned on. I ripped the paper off and began to read.

_Annabeth,_

_I couldn't help but think this color would look nice on you, and because you weren't able to find a dress I figured you could 'borrow' this one. The necklace was supposed to go with Calypso's dress, but she insisted it was too simple. The sash was supposed to go on Rachel's dress, but she thought it didn't fit the theme. Since neither of them wanted them, I figured you could have them._

_I fully expect to see you some time tonight, in __this__ dress, having a good time. Understood? _

_Love, _

_Piper McLean_

_PS. Happy late birthday!_

I frowned after reading the letter. Piper would get in trouble for leaving this for me, even if my birthday was just last month. Maybe I should just return it tomorrow and tell her parents she accidentally left it here.

My curiosity took over and I pulled open the wardrobe. When I saw the dress, I couldn't help but gasp. It was made out of a beautiful sea green fabric. The dress was sleeveless, and the top was swirled with gold. It fell into the skirt with beautiful ruffles, with hints of gold fabric in all the right places. There was no back and the dress tied together with gold ribbon criss-crossing the V shaped patch of skin you'd see.

There was a pair of simple gold pumps sitting in the bottom of the wardrobe next to a beautiful, glittering gold mask. On the neck of the mannequin there was a golden chain with alternating gold and green beads. As I looked at the dress, it reminded me of a dress my mother had before she'd died. I'd always tell her how beautiful it was.

I rushed to the window and saw the carriage had yet to leave, so maybe I could just make it! I rushed to carefully put on the dress, tying the delicate ribbons into a perfect bow at the small of my back. The golden pumps weren't uncomfortable and fit like a dream. I pulled my hair into an elegant bun before pinning in the mask, which covered my eyes and ended just below my nose.

I twirled around in the mirror a few times, happy with how I looked. I'd have to thank Piper if I found her tonight. There was no way I'd ever be able to repay her for the beautiful gown.

I rushed down the stairs, holding the ends of the dress up so they weren't covered in dirt. I could hear my stepmother talking to Rachel and Calypso in the entry way.

"And remember girls, never show any-"

"Wait!" I called out, "Please, wait for me!" When I reached the bottom of the stairs I let the dress fall to the ground and spun around for them to see. Rachel and Calypso's jaws were open and they were staring in horror at me.

"Do you like it? Do you think it will do?" I asked my stepmother.

Rachel and Calypso immediately began to protest, tugging on their mother's dress. I would have been offended, had I not known that they were jealous of my beautiful dress. It serves them right for not listening to Piper.

"Girls, please. After all, we did make a bargain, didn't we, Cinderella?" My stepmother spoke, her voice loud and clear. She looked at the dress as I nodded. "And I never go back on my word."

My stepmother walked towards me, Rachel and Calypso following. "Hmm. How very clever. These beads; they give it just the right touch. Don't you think so, Calypso?"

Calypso looked briefly at the beads. "No, I don't. I think she's…" Calypso didn't finish her sentence as she gasped. "Why, you little thief! They're my beads! Give them here!"

Then she reached up and pulled the necklace off my neck. The beads went flying as the chain broke.

"Oh no!" I exclaimed, but Rachel cut me off.

"Oh and look! That's my sash. Wearing my sash, she can't!" She cried, grabbing hold of the dress and ripping the sash off the dress.

Rachel and Calypso continued to rip things off of the dress, the golden ribbon, parts of the ruffles, and little beads that matched those of the necklace not caring what they were doing, screaming at me as they went.

"Girls, girls. That's quite enough. Hurry along, now, both of you. I won't have you upsetting yourselves." My stepmother interrupted.

Calypso and Rachel marched out the door, their dresses swishing around behind them as they went. My stepmother followed and right before she closed the door, she pleasantly said, "Good night."

I could feel tears coming to my eyes as I looked down to the now ruined dress. It had been clear to me that Piper had spent a long time working on this dress; the dress that had been ruined and now hung in tattered strips on my body. Pieces of it were flung around the room, and the only thing untouched was my mask. My hair had been pulled out sometime during my stepsisters' tantrum.

_Don't cry. Don't-_ I didn't care what happened, I didn't care if I looked weak. Thoughts escaped my mind as I ran outside into the back garden, tears falling freely down my face. I continued to run until I found a secluded bench under a willow tree. There was a beautiful fountain my father had built a few feet away.

"It's-It's no use." I sobbed. I knew I should be strong, that's what my father always taught me. I tried to ignore everything going on around me, until a voice spoke.

"What is no use?"

I couldn't recognize the voice. It obviously belonged to somebody older than me, female, but it wasn't my stepmother. I looked up, trying to wipe away my tears with my hand, and saw a woman I'd never seen before.

This woman looked to be somewhere around the age of forty. She was very beautiful, with her long, chocolate brown hair woven with gold into a single braid and her brown eyes. She wore a deep purple dress, that looked foreign, and gold jewelry. I couldn't help but notice an intricate gold arm circlet. It broke off into many strings of gold, coming together to form a lotus flower. She had a gold necklace, and gold roman gladiator sandals. I wondered if she was from Rome, how she wound up in my garden.

"Who-Who are you?" I asked.

"I believe, child, I asked you a question first." She spoke; her voice was harsher than it was a moment ago.

I frowned. Why did it matter what was no use? "Um…It's no use. There's no way I'll be able to go to the party tonight." I stuttered. I thought of what I said, and I could help but think I sounded whiny and like I couldn't find a way there on my own.

"And why would you not be able to go?" She asked.

"Aside from the fact I don't have a way there and my dress is ruined and they wouldn't let me in looking like this?" I remarked sarcastically.

The woman's eyes narrowed. She opened her mouth, like she was about to speak, when another woman came rushing into the garden.

"Hera, dear, there you are! What on Earth are you doing in here?" She exclaimed. This woman was very different from the first. Her hair was a shiny black and fell in perfectly curled ringlets down her back. Her eyes were a beautiful shade of green, close to the color I was wearing. It might have been my imagination, but her eyes seemed to get darker and lighter changing shades as she looked at me, like they were trying to match the color but couldn't get any closer.

"And who are you?" She asked. Her voice was kind and curious.

"An-Annabeth Chase, Ma'am." I answered.

"Well, Annabeth. What may I ask are you doing out here, dressed like that?" She asked. The other woman, Hera, answered the question before I did.

"Crying her eyes out because she realized she won't get to go to the ball." Hera muttered, rolling her eyes.

"Am not!" I protested. I had no idea why I was acting like I was, but this woman was starting to get on my nerves.

"Really? So you aren't mourning over the loss of your chance to meet the Prince?" She snickered. Was I missing something?

"No. No I'm not." I said, standing up and crossing my arms. I wasn't going to be weak in front of this strange woman.

"Well then. In that case, I won't have to help you find a dress and carriage to get there. Have a nice night!" She chirped. She sounded relieved to no longer be dealing with me, before she turned and marched right out of the garden in the direction the younger woman came from. I stared after her, my mouth agape.

"She's no fun." The woman who was still here pouted. "By the way, my name's Aphrodite!" She chirped.

Aphrodite, whose name I recognized not only as Piper's mother but as the sister of Queen Amphitrite, wore a light pink gown that showed off her perfect body. Her make-up was perfect, but not more than was needed, and she wore a simple silver necklace with a ruby heart shaped pendant.

"And what, may I ask Ma'am, are you doing here?"

"I'm here to help you to the ball, silly!" Aphrodite giggled. "When my daughter mentioned she left you a dress, I made sure somebody was watching so you'd come tonight. When said spy informed me that you didn't get into the carriage, I came to rescue with my cousin, Hera, in tow."

"Why'd you bring her? She didn't seem very happy to be here." I stated, trying to smooth out my dress.

"Oh, she just didn't like you!" Aphrodite said it like it didn't matter. "It's no biggy. She doesn't like a lot of people, including her own daughter! **(A/N: In this story, Thalia was still the daughter of an affair, but Jason was Zeus and Hera's son. Kay?) **Now, let us get you ready!"

I was too shocked to say or do anything while Aphrodite pulled out a white stick. She pushed her sleeves up and began to look at me. "Now, don't say anything because as far as my family knows, I never studied or did well in magic." She winked.

"Magic?" I asked. A smile crept onto my face. Magic was an uncommon subject to study. A few generations ago, the art of magic was considered witchcraft. Now, while it was a desirable talent to have, only the royal families had the opportunities to study it. I'd always thought it would be incredible to learn magic, but I'd found my passion in drawing; specifically drawing buildings.

"Of course! Now, you'll need a ride, but seeing as it's late as it is, I'll cut the show short." She waved the thin stick and a pumpkin came rolling over from the patch, vines and all. It grew in size as it got closer to us, and turned a shade of silver it was almost white. It stopped and I noticed it had formed a giant carriage. The vines were silver and formed swirly wheels, and on the single door was a beautiful A.

"It's…It's amazing! But what did you mean, cut the show short?"

"Well, there's _supposed _to be this huge musical number, with meaningless words, but I've found I could do everything without it. It's almost nine and everything ends at midnight so it'll only give you three or so hours, but we'll go into details later. Now, we need horses and a coachman!"

Aphrodite looked around and waved her wand again, suddenly there were four horses and a man. She looked satisfied and turned to me. "Mice are such intelligent creatures."

I smiled and was about to compliment her magic, when I heard a barking. I looked to see a black lab puppy, panting happily.

"Um…I'm assuming that's your puppy?" I asked, drawing the attention of Aphrodite to the puppy.

"Mrs. O'Leary!" she scolded. "What in the name of Athena are you doing here?" She scolded the puppy.

"Mrs. O'Leary?" I questioned.

"My nephew's puppy." She explained, and with a wave of her hand she dismissed the subject of the adorable black puppy. "Now, all I think you need is a dress."

She walked around me in a circle, studying me intently. "I've got it!" She giggled. She waved the wand in circles and I felt the magic coating me. It started as a small warmth on the ends of the dress and a tingly feeling spread throughout my body. I could feel it in the tips of my fingers and toes.

I was aware of my hair being pulled up from my shoulders as I tried to peer through the sparkles and mist from the magic. It faded only seconds later and Aphrodite was bouncing up and down, a huge smile on her face. She gestured towards the fountain and I carefully walked over there, not looking at myself yet. It deserved to be a surprise. I glanced into the shallow pool of water at the bottom of the fountain and I gasped.

My hair had carefully been curled into soft delicate curls instead of its usual thick curls, as well as cut so it was just longer than shoulder length. A small bit of hair had been pulled to the side and was pinned up to show my face and add a little volume. I didn't have a lot of makeup on, but it made me look older than seventeen; possibly nineteen or maybe even twenty.

I had dangly silver earrings, which looked to have diamonds in them, and a thick silver bracelet that matched the earrings perfectly. I didn't wear gloves, which would stand out at the ball, considering most women chose to wear them. But my nails had been beautifully manicured into French tips with small diamond stones in the corners of my ring fingers.

The dress itself was perfect. It was silver, darker than the carriage but not as gray as my eyes. It was strapless, and the front appeared to wrap around my chest before coming together into one piece of fabric to form the skirt. There were diamonds stitched carefully into two of the bigger strips of fabric one across my right breast, and the other right above my hip.

The skirt carefully wrapped around my hips tightly but appeared loose before falling to the ground, cascading around my feet. You couldn't see my feet in the dress, but the skirt barely brushed the ground in the front. It trailed about eight to twelve inches in the back, but I couldn't tell exactly. It was similar to a mermaid style dress, but it wasn't as dramatic. You could see the lacing of the silver corset, which appeared to be silver satin along with dress, in the back, but there was a layer of fabric in between so you couldn't see my skin. Then from the middle of skirt, another bit of silver fabric appeared to add to the flow of the dress. **(A/N: I was speechless when I found the picture of the dress, and the girl wearing it was so close to how I imagined Annabeth to look, minus hair and eye color. So I'd recommend you go look at the dress on my profile or else it probably doesn't make sense. It was really hard to describe it and do it justice.)**

I lifted the hem of the dress and on my feet were simple glass pumps. I expected to trip over them as I took a step, but I found it was as easy as walking bare foot. I couldn't believe it, glass shoes.

"Glass?" I asked, confused as I turned back to Aphrodite.

"Every story needs a memorable detail!" She chirped. "Is the dress okay? Size right, not too tight or anything?"

"It's perfect! It's not uncomfortable at all. I don't know how to thank you." I asked, walking back over to her.

"You can repay me, by going and finding somebody who you love. But remember, like all miracles I'm afraid it can't last forever. So on the stroke of midnight, everything will go back to the way it was."

"Oh I understand. It's just…more than I could've hoped for."

"Well I-" She was interrupted by the chime of eight forty five on the grand clock in the town square which could be heard throughout the village. "Dear me, it's getting late. Hurry, my dear, the ball can't wait." She swung her wand before it disappeared and in her hands was a silver mask. It was interwoven so it looked like lace, but when she held up a mirror you couldn't tell who I was. It was the same color of the dress, but it didn't outshine it.

"Have a good time!" She called as the carriage pulled away, she waved. "Thank you!" I called. I looked around the inside of the carriage and noticed something. Sitting across from me on the silver bench that matched the interior of the carriage, was the little black puppy. Mrs. O'Leary I think was her name.

This triggered another thought. Aphrodite had mentioned Mrs. O'Leary was her nephew's puppy. If Aphrodite was the sister of the queen, she only had two nephews and one of whom I knew was allergic to animals. So it was either my imagination, or sitting across from me was the Prince's dog.


	3. Part Three

[A Cinderella Story]

_Disclaimer: I do not own Percy Jackson and the Olympians, or Disney's Cinderella_

[SexyPurpleBeast] [AU] [Percabeth]

* * *

_Part Three Note: Because I have never been to a ball, unfortunately, this will be purely made up from my imagination and Disney's Cinderella._

* * *

**PERCY**

Now don't get me wrong, I love a good party, but this was torture. I knew as soon as I'd walked into the ballroom with Jason and Nico that it was going to be a long night.

Aunt Aphrodite had decorated the entire ballroom to fit the masquerade theme. The smooth tile floors had been polished, and you could see the colors reflected onto the ground. The family crests were hung above my parents thrones, while the crests of other royal families hung throughout the room. The drapes had been opened to reveal the grand windows which faced the kingdom. The chandeliers were all lit, but weren't as bright as they normally were to give the room a mysterious essence. Of those who were wearing masks, it was near impossible to see who was who, but we were pretty sure we could find each other.

The three of us had sneaked downstairs through the servant entrance before we crept into the gardens and entered through the front entrance. The servants were under strict instructions to not acknowledge who we were in public, though I'm sure most of them didn't know who we were.

There was an orchestra set up on a stage performing as couples danced throughout the room. Girls wore gowns of all styles and colors. They stood in groups and giggled amongst themselves sending a clear enough message: Anybody wanting to dance with them had to ask in front of a crowd.

The married women were easily identified. They wore simpler dresses and didn't wear masks, but they looked remarkable anyway. The men were holding onto their partners and trying to start up conversations.

"Well, we have all night. I suggest we make the most of it." Nico groaned.

Jason was determined to find somebody for himself and Nico tonight as well. When he'd announced his plan, Nico had muttered something about finding the girl from the dress shop and if looks could kill, Jason would have murdered Nico. Either way, my uncles had strongly encouraged the idea so we were bride hunting tonight.

I sighed and looked around. Girls were flirtatiously strutting past us, clearly trying to get our attention. Amongst them were two that stood out, and not in a good way.

"Check that one out." Nico hissed to me. "She looks like a flamingo!" He pointed to one of the girls: She was wearing a bright pink dress that looked almost like feathers. It looked like it was made to fit her, but I couldn't imagine who would make a dress like that, and for a girl with red hair too. It was hideous.

She caught us looking at her and began to bat her eyelashes excessively. We looked at the girl with her. She had caramel colored hair and wore a green gown. It was much prettier than the pink one, but had this huge skirt that must have covered three feet around her. She smiled a gentle smile towards us and Nico smiled back. She was pretty, but if she hung out with the girl in the pink, I would bet they were either related or best friends.

"See something you like?" A voice snickered from behind us. We turned to see a girl who was none other than Thalia. She'd allowed her hair to be slightly curled at the bottom, and wore a royal blue dress. It was relatively plain, with its long sleeves and narrow skirt that had a slit up to her thigh. She wore a string of black pearls and short black gloves.

"No!" I laughed and added "And what's with the mask?" Her mask covered most of her face. It was black with electric yellow for the rim and accents.

"I liked it! If I'm going to meet somebody at this ball, might as well meet them as me."

I nodded, because it made sense. Thalia was an interesting person, but she had plenty of friends. As she finished her sentence a boy walked up. I recognized him as Luke, the son of Duke Hermes. His mask covered the left side of his face, the side with his scar. It ran from his chin to right under his eye. He'd gotten it from a battle he'd had with a dragon on a trip. He didn't like to talk about it.

"Good evening. If I might suggest it, you guys should split up. You are all _very_ noticeable." He bowed.

I glanced around and realized he was correct and people were watching us. "You're right. We should split up." I agreed.

"Thalia, would you like to dance?" Luke asked, cutting Nico off who had turned to his cousin. She quickly agreed and they walked off. I noticed Jason was no longer with us.

"And then there were two." Nico sighed. I saw Triton across the room, standing next to our mother. He caught my eye subtly called me over.

"Nope, just you." I smiled, walking away. I saw Triton smile when I moved towards him, and Nico yelled, "Not cool man!"

* * *

**ANNABETH**

The carriage pulled to a stop in front of a marble staircase. As soon as the door opened, Mrs. O'Leary bolted out of the door and up the steps. I gathered my skirt and carefully climbed out, as not to break my shoes. I was never this careful about clothes, but this felt too perfect, like a dream, and I couldn't bear to wake up.

The door closed behind me and the carriage pulled away as I stared in awe. There was no going back now.

I began to make my way into the palace. I was late, so I was the only one outside other than the guards lining the way. The big silver clock chimed a quarter past nine. If I remembered correctly, Aphrodite had mentioned everything lasted until Midnight.

Music could be heard from what I assumed was the ballroom. As I neared the door, a girl in a blue dress came rushing out and collided with me. Her mask was black with yellow on it.

"I am so, so sorry!" I exclaimed, at the same time she yelled, "Watch where you're going!"

We looked at each other for a while. "You really out to be more careful where you're walking!" She snapped.

"Well, you should watch where _you're_ going while running!" It wasn't my best comeback, but I was kind of distracted at the moment. She looked like she was going to say something, but a boy called the name "Thalia!"

She looked panicked. "Quick, over there!" I pointed to a column and she rushed over, not questioning me.

A boy with blond hair came running out. "Excuse me, have you seen a girl in a blue dress-" He cut off and looked at me. He smiled before bowing and mumbling an apology. "My name is Luke."

"Nice to meet you." I smiled. He was cute, and seemed to be friendly. "And as a matter of fact, I saw a girl in a blue dress with black hair run up those stairs about two minutes ago. She said if anybody asked to point them in the direction of the garden." I smiled.

"Thanks!" He thanked me, before rushing up the stairs and around the corner. No sooner had he gone did the girl come out.

"You didn't have to lie for me. He'll be back in ten minutes tops." She grimaced, "but thanks. I'm Thalia."

"Annabeth." I smiled, without thinking.

She escorted me into the ballroom, asking questions as we went. "So what kingdom are you from?"

"Here."

"Really? Where did you get your dress? It's nothing like those I've seen on every other merchant girl."

"A gift." I admitted, leaving out the part of me being a dish maid.

She looked doubtful, but didn't say anything. "Well, it's by far the most beautiful dress here. I wonder what my cousin thinks."

"Your cousin?"

She didn't answer. "Just go over and pretend to be admiring some guy on the other side of the room. And look pretty!"

She rushed away. I frowned slightly in her direction, but my attention was quickly taken by the interior of the ball room. Couples danced throughout the room, some with masks and some without. Royal guards stood throughout the room, but not too close to each other.

Women were wearing varieties of dresses, each one different from the others. I began to stroll around the room at a slow pace. As I walked, I tried to imagine what everybody was like based on their outfits. A woman with a gold dress that clung to her body appeared to be royalty. Upon closer inspection, I could see a gold crown blending into her up-do.

Three little girls that were probably five or six danced in circle together. Their dresses were identical but the colors; light pink, blue, and green. They had cute little masks on, the same color of their dresses, and simple silver crowns in their hair.

The men were dashing in their suits. The boys, like the ladies here, mostly talked in groups. The exceptions were those who'd worked up the courage to ask someone to dance.

The king and queen were easy to spot, because they wore crowns and were talking amongst other royals in town. The queen's dress was a beautiful ocean blue that matched her eyes. However, the princes were nowhere in sight; probably off seducing some unsuspecting maids.

I looked towards the dance floor and scanned those dancing. I quickly spotted Thalia in her blue dress dancing with a boy, who must have been younger than her. He had dark hair and olive colored skin. They were both talking as they danced, and the boy laughed at something Thalia said.

A blonde haired boy danced next to them with a girl in a familiar pink dress. He looked like he was clutching his teeth and his eyes were closed under his purple mask – the color of Rome. He must have come from the country, and since Rachel was dancing with him, he must have been of high status. She was talking animatedly and I could help but giggle at the thought of her asking him to dance.

* * *

**PERCY**

I stood next to my brother looking at the party. We looked near identical, in our matching black masks, and our green eyes – a dominant family trait. My father had inherited the eyes, as had my uncle; I knew my son would inherit them too, when I had a son. It was inevitable, because I'd need an heir to rule Greece after me; and following tradition it would have to be a son.

The ball looked to be in full swing as the maiden from the town had decided princes weren't going to come up to them in groups. So they'd spread out and finally began dancing. Jason was dancing with 'Miss Flamingo' as Triton had so creatively nicknamed her.

I had only danced a few dances; two with Piper as I looked for Jason to introduce them and then one with Thalia. Now I stood with Triton and Piper looking for a decent girl to dance with. The last thing I wanted was my parents finding some girl for me, so I needed to find one I could live with being married to.

"What about that one?" Triton asked, pointing to a girl in a deep red dress. It only came down to her thighs and hugged every curve to her body. She had black hair that hung in large curls down her back. I looked at her and prayed to our gods that she would turn around so I could see her face. My prayers were answered as she turned towards some of her friends, but I immediately crossed her off my list.

My brother stared hungrily at the girl. The front of her dress was all sheer fabric, but the red fabric like the back was cut into swirling strips covering the least amount of skin possible. Her eyes were dark. Her make-up was done as dramatically as possible. Her lips bold dark red and her eye make-up seemed to swirl like the dress all over her face. Definitely not my type.

Triton looked like he was going to start drooling, so I spared him. "Nah – not my type." He looked like he wanted to argue, but a big burly guy came up and began dancing with her. Triton shook his head and looked around the room. "Well how about her?"

He nodded his head toward a girl wearing a pale green dress. It hung like drapes, with a few ruffled strips running down it. She had caramel colored hair wrapped up in a bun, and white flats. She appeared to have no make-up on either. She was sort of pretty, but she couldn't have been more than fifteen.

"Too young." I waved her off and kept looking. I glanced at Piper who was furiously searching the crowd. "Anyone you think would work, Piper?" I asked.

"Well…" She tore her face away, "There was a girl I gave a dress to earlier, that you might like, but I haven't seen her yet. I hope she can come."

"Why wouldn't she be able to?" Triton asked. "Every maiden was required to attend."

"She's…different. That girl in the ugly pink dress? That's her step-sister. Her father died when she was young, and her step mother abused her. Now she's a…"

"A…?" I asked.

"Maid, servant girl, waitress – whatever Lady Tremaine needs for the day."

Triton snickered. "A maid? He's a prince, he can't marry a maid!"

"Technically, he can marry whomever he wants. You asked who I thought would be the best choice, and she was my first pick. And if her father was still alive, but I guess it doesn't really matter, she'd be middle class."

"A merchant isn't bad." I put in; but something, or rather someone, had caught my attention. I couldn't make out her exact hair color, but it looked to be blonde. She wasn't dancing. She wasn't eating either. I couldn't figure out what she was doing – just standing there. I looked passed her and noticed her attention was on the view.

I had to admit it was lovely, but she was better. Her dress was a beautiful gray, with some silver. Her hair was left down, and she wore a simple diamond bracelet. I couldn't see a crown, so she must have been from Greece.

"Look for a sea green and gold dress. That's what I gave her." Piper said, as Triton began looking too.

"Hey, I'm going to walk around…Look for her, okay?" I asked, not tearing my gaze from the girl. I didn't wait for their answer as I began crossing the room. I knew my brother was watching me, so I weaved in and out of people trying to lose him. My parents didn't know what I looked like so they didn't watch me all night and give me away.

When I was sure I had lost them, I walked up behind the girl. She had moved closer to the windows, and stood alone. I paused for a second, taking a deep breath. I felt a tingling in the pit of my stomach and I couldn't figure it out, but I shook off the feeling and reached out to grab the girl's hand to get her attention.

She turned and I'm pretty sure I said something to her, but I couldn't remember what. I hoped it wasn't anything stupid, but I was too mesmerized as I stared into her eyes. Her beautiful gray eyes.

* * *

**ANNABETH**

My train of thought was interrupted when I felt a warm hand grab mine from behind. Startled, I turned around to face what appeared to be a young man, almost a boy. He wore a plain black mask that revealed his sea green eyes. I couldn't help but think they were similar to the dress that had been ripped not an hour before.

"Hello." He said, grinning this beautiful crooked grin. I pulled my hand away and curtsied to him as he bowed to me.

"Hello." I smiled back. He appeared to have definite muscles; not too big, but not nonexistent. He had messy black hair that was styled, but didn't look overdone. I couldn't tell if he was royalty or middle class, but I determined that he was too handsome to be lower class. Yet, he was single. Someone this handsome in an upper class couldn't possibly be engaged.

My gaze kept returning to his eyes. And his smile. The music ended and a slower song began to play. "May I have this dance?" He inquired, offering me his hand once again.

I smiled and took it, expecting him to lead me towards the dance floor. However, he took me towards a less crowded space in a corner next to the big curtains and windows. He pulled me closer to him, resting the hand that wasn't in my on my hip. I put my other hand on his shoulder and we began a slow, gentle waltz.

We didn't speak. We let the music carry us away as we danced. I looked into his eyes and he looked into mine. I couldn't help but feel the warmth coming from his touch. He kept a small smile on his face, and every so often it would break out into that grin. I didn't feel butterflies when he did, but I felt something. It was…different.

The song seemed to go on forever, but I didn't mind. I dreaded the end when we'd separate and go our own ways. I wasn't sure when it happened, but our position changed. I was pressed up against him, hands around his neck with both of his around my waist. My head tucked between his neck and shoulder, his resting on top of mine.

When the song finally ended, I saw other couples pull apart and bow to each other in my peripheral vision. I tried to pull away, but his grip tightened slightly. He leaned down to press his face into my neck. "Stay." He whispered and the next song began. It was faster than the previous one, and I recognized the tune, but I didn't pull away.

He began to dance, differently this time. We slowly waltzed toward the curtain and I couldn't help but notice he knew how to dance. I only knew how to dance because Piper taught me a few years ago. When we reached the curtain, he pulled back and released me. He looked around, making sure nobody was watching us, and pulled the curtain aside so I could slip through. He was right behind me.

We appeared to be on a balcony. There were marble stairs to the right which must have led down to the gardens. The moon shone off of the water of the ocean, which couldn't have been half a mile from here.

The man pulled me back to him after he adjusted the curtain back to the way it was, spinning me around so I was facing him. He didn't bother with formalities and we were quickly back our former position.

"Are you sure we're okay to be out here?" I asked softly. He pressed his face against my neck and whispered, "Trust me. We're fine."

I was about to insist we go back into the building but I felt something soft press against my neck and I realized that it was his lips. The kiss was so light, but it made my knees shake. If he hadn't practically been holding me up, I would have fallen.

I'd never been kissed before. Sure, I'd had crushes throughout my childhood, but my stepmother would never have allowed a boyfriend. So I'd stopped looking at boys altogether. I couldn't believe I'd given this up. I leaned into him, hoping to have his lips closer to me than they already were if that was possible, but he pulled away and began to dance again.

We danced out here for the next few dances before he moved towards the stairs. The farther away we got, the music faded. I rested my head on his shoulder and we held hands as we explored the garden.

Without the music, I began to worry that the silence would get awkward. So I began to ask him questions, since I didn't know a thing about him. I hoped he wouldn't mind my questioning, but he only smiled and answered before asking his own.

"How old are you?"

"I'm eighteen, how about you?"

"Seventeen. My birthday is in November. Do you have any siblings?"

"My brother. Where are you from?"

"I've always wondered what it'd be like to have a brother. I've lived in Greece my whole life."

"What a coincidence, I have too. But I've traveled all over. I've been to Rome a couple times, and Athens once."

I sighed, imagining the beauty of Athens. It'd been a dream of mine since I was little to go, but my step mother wasn't one on traveling.

Our Q and A continued until the questions became less frequent. I learned the man's older brother wasn't married, but he wasn't looking for a bride yet. He had three cousins that he grew up with, and came from a large extended family that tended to get into each other's business all the time. He loved sword-fighting almost as much as he loved sleep.

He told me about the time he and his cousins went sailing, and he fell into a large patch of seaweed. When he told me about the hated nickname his cousin, who turned out to be none other than Thalia, had given him, Kelp Head, I couldn't help but giggle and tell him he seemed more like a Seaweed Brain. He smiled when I said that and told me it was much better when I said it like that.

He never asked my name, whether it was intentional or it just didn't occur to him, and I never asked his. The silence wasn't awkward, but comfortable. We crossed a beautiful bridge over a river with the water flowing lazily. There were statues in a smaller garden of couples, children, and gods following a path that led back up towards the palace.

We wandered our way back to the balcony we'd exited earlier and sat on the wide marble railing next to the stairs. I had no clue what time it was, but when he pressed his lips to mine I found myself kissing back, not even caring about the time.

The kiss started out gentle, but turned into a rough, passionate kiss. His hands cradled my face, fingers weaving into my curls. My hands once again rested behind his neck. I didn't want him to pull away, and he didn't seem to want to either. When one of us needed air, the other simply moved on to another spot on our face for a second before being drawn back to our lips.

We kissed feverishly for who knows how long, until my mind registered a sound. It was blocked out, and the man ignored it and continued feverishly kissing me, but I stopped and pulled away. He looked confused as I looked around. Just when I thought I had imagined it, I heard it again and noticed it was the tall clock tower that overlooked the town. Midnight!

"Oh! It's midnight!" I whispered, horrified that I'd let the time get away from me. He shrugged, "Yes, so it is. But why-"

"Good-bye!" I cut him off, jumping up and turning to go up the stairs.

"No, no – wait! You can't go now, it's only-"

"Oh I must, please, please I must!" I begged as he grabbed both my wrists.

"But why?" He pleaded.

"Well…I…I…The prince!" Inspiration hitting me; he couldn't see me like this! "I haven't met the prince!"

"The prince?" He asked, pulling away. He was silent a second as he registered what I'd said. "But didn't you know that-"

But he was interrupted by the third chime of the clock. "Good-bye!" I called, gathering my skirts and rushing up the stairs.

"No wait! Come back! Please come back! I don't even know your name, how will I find you? Wait! Please wa-"

I didn't hear the end as I rushed through the curtain and back into the ball, which still appeared to be in full swing.

* * *

**TRITON**

The ball had been going relatively smoothly, though Percy had disappeared forty-five minutes into it. I'd spent a while looking for him, but gave up and began to enjoy myself. His fault if he didn't find a girl.

It was about midnight, and there was still no sign of Percy. Jason and Piper had searched the dance floor with no luck, so we decided to work our way out and check the rest of the room.

Thalia stood to my right as I could hear the familiar ring of the clock tour as it struck midnight once, then twice. It crossed my mind that Percy may have ventured out into the garden, when the red curtain was flung back and a girl in a gray dress rushed through. Her face was flustered and she was breathing heavily, but she looked behind her like she couldn't bear to leave whatever was out there before forcing herself to run forward.

The clock chimed again. _Four._

The girl ran right passed us, calling out a good-bye to Thalia as she ran. Thalia waved half-heartedly, confused.

The curtain was flung open once again, and in ran Percy. His mask was off in his hand, his hair messed up in its usually messy do. "Wait!" He called. Unfortunately he didn't get very far, because a group of girls swarmed around him.

He couldn't go anywhere and I'd never seen my brother look like he did. He panicked, looking around until he spotted me.

"Triton!" He didn't say anything else, but looked toward the girls back as she weaved her way towards the door.

Jason and Nico came running over, seeing the swarm of girls around Percy. No doubt everyone knew where he was now.

"Well, we found Percy." Nico chuckled, but I grabbed Jason's shoulder. "Come on!" I turned and ran in the direction of the girl, hoping Jason and Nico were right behind me.

* * *

**ANNABETH**

_Five._

The clock chimed the fifth time as I pushed my way out the door. The marble staircase out front was lined with thick red carpet that led out toward the carriages. Guards stood outside the first door, the one leading out of the ballroom, but the main entryway was surprisingly free of guards.

I lifted my skirt as I began to descend the stairs. It proved to be quite difficult in the glass pumps. I'd already tripped twice and I'd considered taking off my shoes and running barefoot. However, I didn't want to drop them.

When I was halfway down the grand staircase, I made the mistake of looking back. I knew he was following me and I knew given the scenario he could outrun me. But I had to hope. He couldn't see me when the magic wore off.

I glanced behind me, checking to make sure he wasn't in sight, and I tripped. Luckily, I was on a sort of landing between the sets of stairs, so I didn't roll down. But one of my shoes came off two stairs back. I had every intention of going back for it, when I heard a voice I didn't recognize.

"Mademoiselle!" I looked back and there were three boys rushing down the stairs. Two wore masks, one with black hair and one with blonde, and the third held his mask. I recognized him as the eldest son of the king and one of the princes.

"Señorita!" The boy with black hair and his mask on called.

_Six._

I scrambled up, not caring what I looked like, and continued running; forgetting all about the lost shoe. Even though it was only a few feet away, the prince was almost to me.

"Just a moment!"

When I was nearing the bottom of the final set of stairs, I looked over my shoulder once again. The prince had stopped to grab my shoe, and was still running after me.

Amongst the three boys were two other men, both blonde. One appeared to be older than the other. Why were they all chasing me? Was it because I hadn't paid homage to the royal family? Had I knocked over someone important?

I finally reached the bottom and climbed into the carriage. The second the door shut, we began to smoothly roll forward as the horses got going.

_Seven._

I looked out the window as my hair came undone, the magic evaporating. The older blonde man was standing next to the prince. He was yelling at pointing towards, and I could only hope my mask was still on.

I looked forward and noticed the iron gates slowly closing. They must have ordered them to stop us. It was going to be close. We might just make it. I was right, and we pulled through the gates right before they closed.

_Eight._

_Nine._

Time seemed to either slow down or we sped up as we raced home. I was aware of riders on horses pursuing us. I once again couldn't help but wonder why they were making such a fuss over one carriage.

_Ten. _

_Eleven._

When the clock struck eleven, the magic unraveled even more. My dress merged from the beautiful gray one to the shredded green dress Piper had given me. The pumpkin turned back to orange and the vines.

My house could be seen a short walk away, perhaps less than a mile. The guard, I was assuming they were the royal guard, were following behind us. We rounded a corner, tall trees lining the road, as the clock rung out for the last time.

_Twelve._

The horses turned back into mice and we were no longer traveling. I was sitting in the road, on a regular old pumpkin, surrounded by mice.

The loud thunder of the horses galloping towards us reminded me of my surroundings. I jumped up and ran out of the way, reaching the side of the road and crawling through the bushes in the nick of time. They rushed right passed me and continued on. I peered up over the bushes and saw the riders continue on past my house, and down the road deeper into the countryside.

Looking back to the road, I saw the pumpkin had been trampled in the chaos. It now sat in the middle of the road, rotten and broken apart. Any other day, it would never be noticed.

I sat down on a smooth rock as the mice gathered around me. I couldn't help but look over my shoulder towards the magnificent castle – one I would probably never step foot in again.

I sighed, a small smile creeping onto my face as I thought of tonight. The man's face kept appearing in my mind; his green eyes and gorgeous smile. The prince himself couldn't have been more…more…

No. I would not do this. I was a strong, independent woman. It didn't matter who he was, or where he came from. He didn't know who I was and I would never see him again. I doubted if he knew who I was that he would even want to see me.

I stood up, preparing to make the remaining journey on foot and I stumbled. I looked down and noticed one glass shoe on my right foot. I bent down and gently removed the shoe, admiring its beauty as I had earlier.

The magic must have not taken the shoes back because I only had one now. A keepsake. Aphrodite's kind smile crept into my mind.

"Thank you." I whispered, even though she was miles away at the ball. "For everything."

* * *

Author's Note:

So as you may have learned, I write when inspiration strikes. I wrote this over two days, and you can tell the difference between my writing. I like the beginning of the chapter better than the end, but I'd love your opinions! Reviews would make my day, and any suggestions are welcome!

Hugs and Kisses, SexyPurpleBeast


	4. Part Four

[A Cinderella Story]

_Disclaimer: I do not own Percy Jackson and the Olympians, or Disney's Cinderella_

[SexyPurpleBeast] [AU] [Percabeth]

* * *

_Part Four Note: Annabeth is going to seem a little OOC, but just look past it, kay? Since in the movie, the mice get the key and rescue Cinderella, it wasn't an option for this. So I had to rewrite part of it – hope you all like it! Sorry for the cheesy ending._

* * *

**THIRD**

Chaos was wreaked throughout the palace. Guests quickly began to notice something was up when guards rushed from the ballroom. The King and Queen suspected something was going on; especially when their youngest son, who'd remarkably gone undetected for the evening, was nearly assaulted by ten masked young women. Normally, their son would be polite and make conversation as he'd been raised. But tonight, he ignored them and rushed from the room right behind the guards.

Unfortunately, the prince arrived right as the castle gates closed behind the guard; rushing out on their steeds, under the orders of Duke Hermes, in pursuit of the carriage. The Queen and Thalia arrived only moments later to assess what was going on.

Prince Perseus had lost his mask in the confusion and didn't seem to care. He shakily ran his hands through his hair and took a deep breath. He and Jason headed off in the direction of the stables, with the intentions of joining the chase.

Jason was confused as to why this girl was so important, but he'd never seen his cousin act like this so he agreed to help him. Triton, meanwhile, was explaining to his mother that he had seen the girl exit the room, and that Percy had asked him to keep her from leaving. The Queen was ecstatic. She didn't know who the girl was, but she was the first girl her son had shown an interest in. So she was determined to find the girl and see if a match was possible. The King was still in the party, attending to the guests. The Queen, Triton, and Thalia agreed to wait until the guests had either left or retired for the night to break the news to him.

But they forgot to take into account that there was a room full of gossiping girls, and pretty soon rumors arose. Some claimed the girl had attacked their beloved Prince, and she was being punished. While others believed the Prince had made an advance toward her, but she declined; angering him into demanding she leave. Either way, many of the guests knew a mystery girl had left the party early and she had something to do with the newly of-age prince.

The search party proved to be a failure, and they returned to the castle when they reached the edge of households. On the trip back, the prince told his cousin the short version of his night; how he'd met the girl, they danced, and if there was any girl at the ball he could marry it would be her. Percy purposefully left out their walk through the gardens, the kissing, and the fact that he was madly in love with her – despite not actually knowing her name.

Even he had to admit it was stupid not to ask her name, but he hadn't expected her to run off at the stroke of midnight without a second glance. He'd assumed there would be time to introduce himself formally, as the Prince and heir of Greece, and get her name. Things just weren't working in his favor tonight.

The two princes returned to the palace just as the last guests were leaving. King Poseidon had retired to his room for the night. Upon hearing only one of the many rumors of the night, that his son was madly in love with this mystery girl and had left the party to find her, he'd ordered Hermes to inform him when his son returned – hopefully engaged.

The Queen and her sister were still awake, yet they had sent everyone else save Triton to their rooms for the night. Both were disappointed to hear Percy was unsuccessful in his search. Amphitrite encouraged her son to get some rest and deal with it tomorrow, but he refused.

"I'm not going to rest until I find her. You and Dad want me to marry someone now? I will. I'll marry the girl that fits that slipper! No one else." He said, daring his mother to defy him.

She turned to her sister, expecting Aphrodite to support her decision, yet the youngest sister just looked at her perfectly manicured fingernails with a tiny grin on her face. Now wasn't the time to reveal just how much she knew about the girl with the glass slippers.

With Percy off to do who knows what to find his missing lover, the rest of the royal family went their separate ways to bed, leaving Duke Hermes to inform the King of Percy's decision.

* * *

**HERMES**

I couldn't believe I'd gotten myself roped into another scheme of the princes'. I stood outside the King's chambers trying to work up the courage to go in. The Queen was staying with her sister in another wing, so I wouldn't be disturbing anyone but the King himself.

"Your Majesty," I rehearsed for what must have been the tenth time. "…I see no point in beating about the bush. I regret to inform you, Sire, that the young lady has disappeared, leaving behind only this glass slipper."

I took a deep breath. "Yes. I'll do it." I muttered to myself.

I turned around to knock on the door, when the doors themselves opened to reveal the King. He wore his pajamas **(A/N: In this time period, guys just wear pajamas like they do today)** and looked somewhat annoyed to be at the door.

"Your Majesty..." When he heard my voice, his eyes opened wide. He grabbed my hand and pulled me inside, shutting the door so we weren't disturbed as we talked. He ignored the box in my hand, which unknown to him, held the glass slipper Triton picked up.

"So he's proposed already! Tell me all about it!" Poseidon demanded, pushing me into a chair. He pulled another up, and sat down waiting for me to talk.

I knew he was eager for his son to get married, no doubt he was already planning the grandchildren he'd have. I couldn't tell him...I hated this job.

"Well, Sire..." I began, but he interrupted me.

"Who is she? Where does she live?"

"Well, I didn't get a chance…"

"Oh, no matter, we've more important things to discuss. Arrangements for the wedding, invitations, a national holiday… all that sort of thing!"

"But, but, Sire..." I tried again. I needed to tell him before things got out of control.

"And, for you, my friend..." He said, standing up and grabbing his sword. Personally, he preferred to fight with a Trident, but the sword was for show purposes. I got down on my knees, about to beg for mercy, figuring he'd guessed what I'd come to say, but he continued.

"…A knighthood. I hereby dub you, sir... er, er; by the way, what title would you like?"

This had gone too far. "Sire, she got away." I blurted.

The King made a face, but continued not thinking about what I'd said. "Sir 'She Got Away...' A peculiar title, but if that's what you..." He trailed off, his face turning a deep red. "She WHAT? Why, you, you, you traitor!" He yelled.

"No, sire, no!" I defended.

"SABATOGE! You were in league with the prince all along!" He swung the sword at me. Luckily I'd always been fast, so I dodged and jumped away. Then I tried to continue and tell him how his son intended to marry the girl.

"I tried to stop her! But she vanished into thin air!"

"A likely story!"

"But it's true, sire! All we could find was this glass slipper!" I ran to the table, ducking the sword, and opened the lid. I yanked the shoe out, careful not to break it, and continued to dodge the sword.

"The whole thing was a plot!"

"But sire!" I interrupted, a move that could have cost me my life. "He loves her. He won't rest 'till he finds her! He's determined to marry her!" He swung the sword as I finished speaking and I barely missed.

"What? What did you say?" He asked, pausing momentarily – the sword forgotten.

"The prince sire! Swears he'll marry nobody but the girl who fits this slipper!" I held up the shoe. I honestly had no idea how the girl could stand in these, let alone outrun a team of guard.

"He said that, did he?" He laughed, taking the shoe from me. "Ha ha. We've got him!"

The King kissed the shoe, so I asked "But Sire, this slipper may fit any number of girls!"

He appeared to think of what I said for a moment, but shrugged it off. "That's his problem. He's given his word; we'll hold him to it."

He tossed the shoe towards me, and I scrambled to pick it up. I didn't need the blame for breaking the only link to the girl. I promptly caught it, and carefully set it back in its case.

"No, no, you're Highness. I'll have nothing to do with it." I crossed my arms. The King promptly drew his sword and pointed it towards my throat.

"You'll try this on every maid in my kingdom. And, if the shoe fits... Bring her in."

I mentally sighed. This was going to be a long, long night. Perhaps the Prince would find a nice, pretty girl and decide to marry her instead. Then this could all be over and we'd be okay. Then again, the Prince was stubborn. Like his father and his mother before she'd passed. If I was going to end this soon, might as well get started now.

"Yes, your majesty."

* * *

**ANNABETH**

"Cinderella!"

I jump slightly, dropping the teacup into the soapy water of the sink. I look around, wondering which member of my_ lovely_ family decided to come down to the _kitchen_ this morning, but none of are down here.

I shake my head, content with the thought that it was only a figure of my imagination. I plunge my hands back into the soapy water, searching for the teacup and praying it isn't chipped.

I was semiconsciously aware that I was humming under my breath. I couldn't name the tune, but I'd heard it before. Last night.

I sighed, closing my eyes as I scrubbed the cup. Unfortunately, it didn't last long.

"Cinderella!" I recognized the voice to be my stepmother's. I sighed, drying off the cup and placing back in its place in the cupboard before going up the staircase into the main hall.

"Cinderella! Oh, where is that..."

"Yes? Here I am." I answered, opening the door. My stepmother was holding her skirts, as she went up the stairs.

She looked at me with disdain. "Oh. My daughters- where are they?"

It was nearly eleven. Normally Rachel and Calypso slept in, but never this late. It wasn't 'lady-like' in the words of Rachel. I had always been an early riser, usually for work, but I would sleep in everyday if I could, whether it was 'lady-like' or not.

"Uh, I think they're still in bed." I said, trying to mask the tone of my voice that would get me trouble.

"Oh. Well, don't just stand there. Bring up the breakfast trays at once, and hurry!" She ordered, continuing up the stairs. She didn't even wait to make sure I did what she said.

Either way, I rushed into the kitchen to grab Calypso and Rachel's breakfasts. I'd put aside their oatmeal this morning, despite the fact they weren't home until three. I'd gone to bed shortly after I'd returned, pausing only to clean up the mess from my earlier dress.

When they'd stumbled in early this morning, they'd demanded I come help them undress. So I'd dragged myself out of bed to help them. They'd described the boys they'd danced with and the dresses they'd seen. Then they told me about the commotion that started around midnight. Nobody knew what had happened, but a majority of the royal guard was called in to deal with it.

As I grabbed their trays, I couldn't help but wonder why Katie hadn't come by with the bread. Normally she was here and gone. But today she hadn't so I was beginning to worry because I had no bread for lunch. I glanced out the window, but she was nowhere in sight.

I carefully went up the stairs and down the hall, listening to my stepmother speak.

"Rachel? Rachel!" My stepmother called her.

"Mmm? What?" I heard her mumble.

"Get up. Quick, this instant! We haven't a moment to lose." As I neared the top of the stairs, I saw my stepmother go into the next room. "Calypso? Calypso. Get up, Calypso."

I walked past Rachel's room as she stumbled her way from her bed out the door. I entered Calypso's room; my stepmother pulled open the curtains. Along the windowsill, silver flowers began to close up. Calypso had explained during one of her nice spells, that it was known as Moonlace. It bloomed every night and she loved them.

"Huh? What for? Why?" She yawned.

"Oh, everyone's talking about it; the whole kingdom! Oh, hurry now. He'll be here any minute." She rushed to the wardrobe and pulled out one of Calypso's dresses.

Rachel walked in and yawned. "Who will?" Her red hair was all frizzed up, but she didn't seem to care in the slightest.

"The Grand Duke. He's been hunting all night!" My stepmother sounded exasperated. I debated setting down the breakfast, but I wanted to stay and listen.

"Hunting?" Rachel prompted. She walked over to the bed and flung herself down next to Calypso.

"For that girl! The one who lost her slipper at the ball last night. They say he's madly in love with her."

Girl? I frowned slightly, being mentioned. I guess word had gotten out about my stunt, but I don't ever remember meeting the Grand Duke. I knew who he was, we all did, but I don't remember seeing him – except when I left, but how could he be madly in love with me if he only saw me for a few seconds.

"The Duke is?" Calypso groaned, just as confused as I was.

"Oh, no, no, no!" My stepmother almost scolded, waving her hands around like she does when one of them do something stupid. "The Prince!" She nearly screamed.

I froze. I couldn't believe what she'd just said; the prince. The beautiful sea green eyes, the gorgeous smile – there was no way…no possible way…

"The prince!" I gasped. The tray slipped from my hands and crashed to the ground.

The others looked to me and my stepmother screamed, "You clumsy fool! Clean that up." I slowly dropped to floor, and began piling the larger pieces of glass onto the tray.

"Then help my daughters dress!" She turned on my stepsisters.

"Well, if he's in love that girl, why should we bother?" Rachel complained, turning over and pulling the covers over her and Calypso.

"Now, you two listen to me!" She demanded, pulling the covers off. "There's still a chance that one of you can get it!"

The two of them sat up with wide eyes. They looked to each other.

"One of us?" Rachel asked.

"Why, mother, what do you mean?" Calypso chimed.

She sighed. "Just listen. No one, not even the prince, knows who that girl is."

I stood up slowly, listening, curious as to where this was going. "The glass slipper is their only clue. Now, the Duke has been ordered to try it on every girl in the kingdom. And if one can be found who the slipper fits, then by the King's command that girl shall be the prince's bride!"

"His bride." I whispered. I hardly knew him, we'd only been with each other for a few hours, and now he was scouring the country looking for me? It was surely too good to be true. Rachel and Calypso thought so too however.

"Cinderella!" The two girls screamed, rushing around. Rachel grabbed a dress from a chair, while Calypso ran to the bureau.

I smiled, holding the tray, and thought of the man I'd met last night. It'd seemed too good to be true last night, and I could never have thought the prince to be better than him. Turns out they were the one and the same. Seaweed Brain was the prince and heir to Greece.

"Wake up, Stupid!" A voice woke me from my imagination.

"We've got to get dressed!" Another did.

My stepsisters had piled clothes onto the tray, and were looking at me. I could feel a tiny smile slip onto my face.

"Oh yes, we must get dressed. This will never do." I handed the tray and walked out of the room. That little tune returned to my mind. The music we'd danced to in the moonlight.

I pulled open the door and partially danced my way up to my room in the highest tower, humming as I went. I didn't care about my stepfamily on the floor below, the chores I had to do, or how he'd manage to not mention he was a prince last night. All that mattered was I had minutes until the Duke arrived, then I could see him again.

* * *

**THIRD**

Annabeth was oblivious to the woman following her up the stairs. Her cold eyes narrowed into a glare and her right hand gripping the key in her pocket. The wooden stairs creaked as she reached a narrow landing outside the lone door.

It was an older door, and needed to be locked from the inside. If she could open the door and lock it with the key, her step-daughter would be stuck with nowhere to go.

She slowly turned the handle. She didn't care how Annabeth had found a dress and a way to the palace. All that upset her was the fact her daughters couldn't have won the heart of the prince while her maid had. She'd invested too much time for her daughters to fall short now.

She pulled the key out of the lock as Annabeth looked up from her mirror, where she'd been brushing out her curls – which had somehow managed to be less messy than they'd previously been. She gasped seeing her stepmother and rushed to the door.

Lady Tremaine pulled the door shut and she could feel Annabeth run into it, pulling on the handle.

"Oh no, you can't! You just can't. You can't keep me in here!" She screamed the last night, her sobs getting louder by the second.

Lady Tremaine ignored her stepdaughters cry, tucking the pocket into her pocket. When she reached the second floor, her daughters were exiting their rooms, dressed in some of their nicer day dresses.

A knock interrupted all other thoughts of the Tremaine family. Rachel and Calypso rushed down towards the door, but turned towards the bay window in the front room.

Out front stood the grandest carriage they'd ever seen. It was relatively large; much bigger than their own. Two blond men stood out front of the door, and the younger one looked to be the older man's son. He held a black box.

Down by the carriage stood two large horses. One was gray and the rider Rachel recognized as Jason Grace, the prince of Rome she'd danced with last night. The other horse was black and rider looked no older than Jason. He was handsome; but based on the riding clothes he wore, he appeared to be a peasant or a servant perhaps.

Calypso thought he was handsome, but Rachel scoffed at him. Neither was aware that this was the Prince searching for a bride. After searching his quests to make sure he hadn't made a mistake, he'd joined Duke Hermes in search of his mystery girl.

Lady Tremaine calmly walked towards the door, and opened it to reveal the Grand Duke. He was welcomed into the household, and began to read the proclamation the King had given earlier. His son Luke stood off to the side, holding the case that contained the glass slipper.

When the Duke had finished his proclamation, he escorted Rachel, the eldest of the two, to a chair. He gently pulled the slipper out of its case from Luke and attempted to slide it onto her foot. It first appeared to fit, but when he lifted her foot to inspect the fit, it revealed that the glass pump only cover half of her foot.

Next was Calypso. As the Duke tried on the shoe, there was a knock on the door. Luke opened it to reveal the two princes. They entered the room, not receiving any recognition. Percy was beginning to get impatient. They'd searched nearly half the kingdom with no luck, and this house was taking longer than any of the others had.

The young prince had no idea what had caused her to leave without any explanation, but he was determined to find out what was responsible for her absence. He was also determined that as soon as he found her, she never left his side again.

His thoughts were interrupted when the girl nearly cried with happiness.

"There. I knew it was my slipper. Exactly my size! I always wear the same size. As soon as I saw it, I said it was mine!"

The Duke lifted her foot, and the slipper was on…but in Percy's mind, it looked too small for the girl's foot. Calypso just happened to voice the same concern.

"Oh. Well, it-it may be a trifle snug today. You know how it is, dancing all night!"

The Duke continued to inspect it, but Percy knew this wasn't the girl he was looking for. First, this girl was much taller. She was taller than him in fact, but the girl he was searching for was about six inches short than him.

Secondly, the girl last night had the most beautiful gray eyes and curly blonde hair. This girl had straight brown hair and eyes.

Meanwhile, Luke, who was an acquaintance of the prince, was distracted. He remembered coming here, yesterday morning and was positive somebody else had opened the door when he'd arrived. He couldn't shake the feeling.

Luke looked over to Percy, in disguise of course, and almost felt sorry for the poor guy. It must suck to have the one person that means something to you run away every time you tried to tell them how you felt.

Oh wait, he thought, that's just like my relationship with Thalia. He frowned. It wasn't Percy's fault Luke didn't have fleets of guards to bring Thalia to him. Sadly, Thalia was a princess. She was going to be married off to some prince to form yet another alliance. Not the son of a Duke.

"You are the only ladies of the household, I hope, er, I presume?" Duke Hermes asked. He'd decided that the shoe really didn't fit the girl's foot and had taken it back.

Lady Tremaine nodded, not speaking. Her cold eyes kind of creeped Percy out and he was more than willing to leave. He and Jason began to exit the house with Hermes, but Luke didn't move.

"What about that other girl?" He asked.

The others stopped. What other girl did Luke mean?

"You must be mistaken. There's no one else, your Grace." She added to the Duke.

"Oh, my apologies. I just assumed the blonde dish maid who opened the door yesterday belonged to you." Luke persisted.

Even if she didn't fit the slipper, Luke thought she was cute. Perhaps he could convince Percy to hire her at the palace.

Lady Tremaine's eyes narrowed. How could this boy know about her servant girl? In the back of her mind, she remembered Cinderella bringing the interrupting the music lesson.

* * *

High in the tower, Annabeth had long given up crying. Her stepmother was going to keep her up here until the Duke was long gone – she was sure. She was sitting next to the windowsill where she had a view of the front porch.

She'd hoped when the Duke had arrived, he would just happen to glance up here and see her; but he hadn't. She was too high up just to be noticed. The Duke had entered the house about fifteen minutes ago; the two boys on the horses had followed him in about ten minutes later.

Annabeth was too high up to see who they were, but there must have been a reason they came in. Could one of her stepsisters possibly have the same size feet as her?

She looked over to her vanity where the single glass slipper sat. She'd kept the other safely locked up here, in case it needed to be brought forward. But it didn't matter now; she had no way to get down.

She saw the Duke and two boys exit the house and then stop on the front porch. She leaned out trying to see what was happening but they went back inside. Then Calypso walked out. She had the biggest smile on her face. There was no way the prince would mistake Calypso for _her_. Was he that obtuse?

Annabeth clenched her fists. She'd always had a temper; she just kept it under control. This was too much though. The one thing that could possibly change everything, the one thing she yearned for, was walking out the door with her younger stepsister.

She got up, walked over to the door and tried the lock again. It was still locked. She pounded on the door hoping it would give way. When it didn't, she let out a loud scream.

She didn't want to seem weak, but it looked like the only way to get out. Fresh tears ran down her face. She screamed, cried, and begged – but it didn't seem like anybody was coming.

* * *

**PERCY**

"Perhaps," Hermes spoke up, "…we should take Calypso back with us to the palace. If no one else can fit the slipper, we'll see what the prince thinks."

I frowned as Calypso jumped up and rushed out the door. I wouldn't change my mind. She wasn't the girl I danced with and never would be.

Luke looked furious. He kept asking about some girl who he thought lived here, but Lady Tremaine refused to admit there was anybody else. Maybe there wasn't.

I sighed, and turned toward the door. If there was another girl here, Lady Tremaine would die before admitting it. Jason followed Calypso out the door, Rachel babbling away. Triton would get a laugh when we returned to the palace with the girl in the flamingo dress.

Duke Hermes looked to me, and gestured for me to follow them. I reluctantly turned to the door, when the loudest scream I'd ever heard rang out through the house.

I froze, and Jason poked his head back in the door. "Did you hear that?"

I put a finger to my lips and listened. I didn't hear another scream, but I could hear something. It was quiet.

"Sounds like crying." Luke observed. He headed towards the stairs, but Lady Tremaine stood in his way.

"Just what do you think you are doing?" She hissed.

Luke glared towards the older woman. "I'm searching your house. Every maiden has to try on the slipper. Unless you are worried about us finding somebody, you'll move so we can search."

She didn't look happy, but Hermes stepped forward, waiting for her answer. She lowered her arms and Luke climbed the stairs. I followed behind him.

When we reached the top, I could definitely hear it. It _was_ crying, but whoever it was, was yelling too. I tentatively began down the hall, but the voice faded. I backed up.

Jason joined us and the three of us searched the hall. Strangely, it sounded the loudest in the middle of the hall next to a wall.

"Perhaps it's a servant entrance. Like those at the palace?" Jason guessed.

It made sense, but I sent Jason and Luke to search the rest of the house for another entrance. I wanted to this on my own. When I looked closely I could see an outline, but it was narrow. I drew the sword that hung to my side. I slid it into the crack and slid it along until I heard a quiet click.

The door didn't open. I waited but it didn't move. I nearly growled. "Why won't you open?" I shoved the wall and couldn't believe it. The door swung in, not out. I looked around before slipping into the opening and closing it behind me with a click.

Flights of wooden stairs worked their way up. It was old, no doubt. The voice was much louder now, because the stone of the tower must have blocked the sound. The voice was obviously female.

I climbed the stairs listening to the voice – could this be the girl Luke thought he'd seen. She was screaming and hitting something, maybe another door.

"You can't keep me in here!" She screamed. I smirked, glad I wasn't Lady Tremaine. Did whoever it was act like this all the time?

_Of course not. You'd scream if you were locked in a tower, dear._ A voice spoke in my mind. I shook my head, trying to get my aunt to leave me alone. Her magic had gotten her into trouble before, so I had no idea why she still used it.

I came to a wooden door. The only other place to go was down, so whoever this girl was had to be in here. I waited a moment, debating whether I should open it and the noise stopped.

Her sobs still continued, but she was no longer banging on the door and screaming. With a burst of courage, I grabbed the handle. I didn't turn it, but listened. The cries were muffled now. I tried the handle and it turned.

I took a deep breath and silently pushed the door open. The sight surprised me. The first thing I saw was books – in the small bookshelf, next to the bed, on the floor. They crowded the room. A small bed was in the corner, across from a small window. Judging from its position, you could probably see the entire town from it.

A vanity was next to my left, along the wall. There were books on it too, but also some other necessities. These had been pushed to the edges, and a piece of blue cloth was laid out. On it, sat a glass shoe.

I'd studied the one downstairs enough to know this had to be its match. I wanted to grab it, but I figured it may be better to deal with the servant first – in case she happened to be insane. Why else would you lock a girl in a tower?

The girl lay face down on the bed. She had blond hair, pulled back into a ponytail to control the curls. She was on the shorter side, so thin I wondered if she ever ate, and all around tiny. She wore rags, not like the uniforms the palace servants wore.

She didn't seem to notice my entrance. I cleared my throat but she didn't move. Her crying continued and I fought the urge to rush to her side.

"Who are you?" I blurted out, forgetting she didn't know I was there.

She jumped up, her face was red and tear stained. Her lips trembled and her eyes were wide. I fought the urge to smile at the familiarity. Her large, intelligent gray eyes studied me before she answered.

"Who are you? How did you get up here?" She demanded.

I smirked, "You don't recognize me?"

"Obviously not. If I did, I wouldn't have asked who you were." She scowled. "Well?" She was growing impatient.

"Oh, right. I'm the one and only prince of Greece, who else?" I answered cockily.

"Right. And I'm the girl with the glass slipper who ran away last night." She sneered. I raised an eyebrow, waiting for her to get that I was being serious.

"Look, I don't like you. So either be serious and answer my questions or get out. Who are you?"

"I told you, I'm the prince of Greece." I shoved my hands in my pockets and leaned back against the wall.

She looked me up and down. "The prince of Greece is going door to door, looking for some girl his father demanded he marry?"

"Yup."

She rolled her eyes. "So now you're here to drag me away and force me to live in castle?"

"Yup."

"What makes you think I'll go?"

"You don't really have a choice in the matter."

"Why not?" She seemed offended, but it was kind of cute. She stood straight up and crossed her arms. Her eyebrows were slightly creased and her bottom lip puckered.

"I already told you like three times, I'm the prince-"

"A pretty spoiled one at that." She muttered.

"…And I generally tend to get what I want, Wise Girl. Hey! I'm not spoiled!" I crossed the room so I towered over her. Without heels on, she must have been about ten inches shorter than I was.

She stifled a laugh. "Yes you are."

"Prove it!"

Instead of answering, she leaned up on her tip toes and brushed her lips against mine. When she pulled away a millisecond later she looked at me. Her mouth smiled, but I could tell she was trying to be serious.

"Let's see. You've been raised by servants you entire life. You're going to inherit a country in a few years. You probably have a room full of gifts from last night that haven't been touched." I tried not to show her that her latest reason was spot on.

"Okay, Okay. I get it, I'm spoiled." I interrupted.

She continued. "You go on trips all over the nation every other week."

"How many more reasons could you possibly have?"

"Just one," She assured me.

"Fine." I muttered, crossing my arms and looking away. She grabbed chin and forced me to look down at her. When I complied, she was finally serious. An affectionate smile on her lips.

"You have me." She whispered.

* * *

Author's Note:

One more part until the end of this story. Sad day. Perhaps if we get lots of reviews, I'll add an epilogue... (: Review telling me what you thought of the new ending - personally not my best work, but it was okay, right? I'll update again this week, probably Valentine's Day.

Hugs and Kisses, SexyPurpleBeast


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